The renowned Brazilian composer and singer, Chico Buarque, returned this Friday to Casa de las Américas, invited by the Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, in a pleasant atmosphere of shared memories.
“Those present recalled the Brazilian artist’s visits to Cuba and his concerts. They expressed their gratitude for his work and his example of love, consistency, and dignity,” Casa de las Américas highlighted in a statement on its social media.
Singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez proposed this meeting in the Manuel Galich Hall of the prestigious cultural institution, along with other musicians and friends. “I long for all the people I met here in Havana,” Buarque expressed.
The meeting was hosted by the Director of Music at Casa de las Américas, María Elena Vinueza, and included José María Vitier, Frank Fernández, Carlos Alfonso, and Ele Valdés, among other friends and staff members of the institution. Christian Vargas, Brazil’s ambassador to Havana, and Nivia Regina and Marcelo Durão, representatives of the MST (Landless Workers Movement of Brazil) in Cuba, were also present.
During the meeting, attendees recalled the Brazilian singer’s participation at the Cuban institution in 1978 as a guest in his capacity as a playwright and novelist, serving as a juror for the Casa de las Américas Literary Prize. There, he gave a recital alongside the ICAIC’s Grupo de Experimentación Sonora (Sound Experimentation Group) and other Cuban singer-songwriters. They also remembered his participation in the organization’s Latin American artists’ meeting, where he met Mercedes Sosa in 1981.
It is worth noting that Casa de las Américas published his novels *Benjamín* (1998) and *Leche Derramada* (2013), winner of the José María Arguedas Narrative Prize.
In this context, after more than three decades without visiting the island, Buarque arrived in Cuba last Wednesday, April 8, landing at José Martí International Airport accompanied by his wife, lawyer Carol Proner. They donated essential medical supplies to the Ministry of Public Health as a gesture of solidarity in the face of the humanitarian crisis the country is experiencing.
Silvio Rodríguez explained that he “came to record a song with us,” referring to this new joint interpretation of a song that Buarque had previously performed solo, but never in direct collaboration with the Cuban singer-songwriter.
The recording took place at Estudios Ojalá, founded by Rodríguez, with the aim of offering the public a renewed version of one of the most emblematic songs of Cuban trova.
According to statements Rodríguez made on his blog, the new version will soon be available on all music platforms, expanding the reach of this artistic collaboration.
The initiative, developed during a time of crisis, reaffirms the role of song as a tool of resistance and expression in the face of the social and political realities of Latin America.
IMAGE CREDIT: Chico Buarque returns to Casa de las Américas after more than 3 decades without visiting Cuba. Photo: EFE
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
